ALL LINES RESTORED

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 120, 24 May 1941, Page 4

ALL LINES RESTORED

WANGAEHU FIRE DAMAGE RAILWAY COMMUNICATIONS MINOR DELAYS TO TRAINS No time was lost by the Railways Department, in establishing telephone and. telegraphic communication which was interrupted soulh of Fordell by the fire at Wangaehu on Thursdayevening. The station building, an old wooden structure that, had given service for many years, was burnt to the ground, and tablet instruments, telephone lines and interlocking gear were also destroyed. The cause of the outbreak is unkown. Wangaehu, a tablet station between Fordell and Turakina, had been “switched out” about 30 minutes before the fire, and the station was unattended at the time. Provision for such an emergency, however, is made in the department's rules, and though only minor delays occurred to two trains, all safety precautions were taken and within a short time services were running to schedule. Till restored late yesterday afternoon. no tablet was in operation between Fordell and Turakina, hut the pilot guard system was adopted for a portion of the time. This meant that an employee of the department took the place of the tablet and travel•'.. on each train. At about 6 a.m. telephone communication was restored, thus enabling the department to adopt the line-clear system till another set of tablet instruments had been installed in a temporary hut at Wangaehu.

Under the line clear system, trains may run as they would u/.ler tablet, but before the departure of any train telegrams are exchanged between stations, advising that the line is clear. A ticket is subsequently handed to the driver and he is authorised to proceed. This safety method, as an alternative to the tablet, involves less time titan the pilot guard and is usually adopted when a breakdown occurs in the electric tablet system. The first train affected on Thursday evening by the tire at Wangaehu was the southbound railcar, which left Artimoho at 7.12 p.m. It was held at Fordell 20 minutes while the pilot guard system was being established. The only other trc’.i delayed was the mixed which left Marton for Wanganui after the arrival of the Wellington-Auckland express. It was held at Turakina 35 minutes for a crossing with the railcar. All telephone, telegraphic and tablet lines pass through Wangaehu and were consequently destroyed by the fire. Wanganui was unable to communicate with Marton, Palmerston North, Wellington and other station:, south of Fordell, but line gang: worked all night repairing the damage. Two of the department's portable huts were sent to Wangaehu yesterday to provide temporary accommodation. Before the lire, post office business was also conducted at the old station, but this is now being carric.. out in one of the huts. A set of tablet instruments had been installed at Gower's Cutting, just south of Turakina. where grade easement work i: in progress, but was removed from there yesterday and temporarily installed at Wangaehu. It is not known what steps will be taken to replace the Wangaehu station, but a temporary structure wil, be necessary till the Okoia-Turakina deviation is opened for traffic. A small railway building may be moveo from some other locality to serve as a station at Wangaehu pending the change-over. Interlocking gear destroyed at Wangaehu was also replaced, the points being spiked I the meantime as a safety measure.